Regarding "Spangdahlem, Ramstein to see more flights" (article, Jan. 30), I was surprised to see that the C-17 is the only aircraft mentioned hauling cargo to Afghanistan ("The military’s heavy lifter, the C-17, is expected to carry the bulk of the cargo into the theater.")

I am amazed that a spokesman for the 86th Airlift Wing failed to mention that, while the C-17 is a fine aircraft, the true strategic airlifter for the U.S. Air Force is the C-5.

Maybe a look at the ramp of these two bases (Ramstein and Spangdahlem) will show that the C-5 is currently hauling more cargo from stateside locations into the area of responsibility than the C-17.

As an Air National Guardsman, I am currently flying a mission in support of the buildup in Afghanistan. Our aircraft is carrying a load that would have taken two C-17s and required tanker support to do what a single C-5 is doing. We also picked up this cargo from a C-17 base.

While the C-17 is a great airplane that was designed to replace the C-141, it will never be a heavy cargo strategic airlifter like the C-5 Galaxy. If the Air Force were smart, it would re-engine all the C-5As and Bs, thereby increasing an already-valuable aircraft’s usefulness.

A C-5M would accomplish my mission in less time while burning less fuel. A C-17 will never come close to what a C-5M can do when it comes to moving cargo from the U.S. to the AOR.

Master Sgt. Peter "Motch" MatschulatNaval Air Station Rota, Spain